Cue.



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UNITED s'rnirns i WHAM l UGKNUM, OF MORRl'SVlLLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

y y No. 861,158.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 'uf'v t f Application tiled March '17, lSG'?. ilerial No.561,078.

To all whom it may con/:em:

Be it known that I, WILLr in H. BUCKNUM, citizen oi the United States,residing at lslorrisviile, in the county ol Buchs and State ciPennsylvania ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in (lues,oi which the iollow v is a specification.

CuesV for driving the balls in playing bil. ds, pool and like gamesembodying a table, balls, and a stati'- rod or like stiel: l( "ing theballs in motion, are usually constructed ol wood, hence warp. 'loovcrdome this tendency to warp an d vget out of line the best grade cuesare composed oi different sections of wood arranged with the grainrunning in various directions so that the tendency oi one section t Warp .in one direction is compensated for by the tendency of an othersection `to warp in an opposite direction, with the result that themaintains an alinementu Cues of the composite or sectional t ype, suchas hercinbcfore speciiied, costly and involve skilled labor in theirmanufacture and it not unl'rcquently happens that such cues do notcatell Limes and under varying conditions maintain a perfect alinement.

The present invention aims to provide a cue which will preserve aperfect alinement` which can be accurately balanced and weighted to suitthe requirer A oi the player and which may be placed upon the market atabout the same cost as ordinary wooden cues and considerably cheaperthan the composite or sectional cue.

For a vfull description oi the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge oi the details oi'lconstruction and the means foreffecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings.

While the invention may be adapted 'to diiieroiit orms and conditions bychanges in the structure and minor details without departing from thespirit or essential features thereof, still the preferred embodiment isshown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side view oi a cue embodying the invention, a portion ofthe shell or body being broken away. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinalsection oi the cue showin g the parts on larger scale, the m iddle poition of the cue being broken away. Fig. 3 a transverse section on theline '--x oi Fig. 2. cross section on the line :fAg/ ot' Fig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views el the drawings by the samereference characters.

The cue is hollow and consists of a body or shell. l tapered throughoutits length and provided at it small end with the usual tip and at itslarge end with a base. The body or shell l is preferably oi tubularstoel onesixty-ourth Aglth) inch in thickness and about lifty (50)carbon in hardness and tapering from one and and dimensions may bevaried according to specific natmi-andsivooi I The bn lnol'erablythreaded into a ring affixed' to the largo end oi the body or shell inany substantial Way thereby admitting of the base being removed to gainaccess to the interior oi'v the cue when it is required to adjust theweights thereol either for balancing the cue or to vary the weight byadding heavier or lighter Weights.

A socket 4 is provided centrally of the base 2 and is threaded toreceive a light rod 5. The outer side of the base 2 is made hollow withthe result that the socket 4 in from the end of the cue. A bushing 6 isprovided at the small end of the cue and is threaded to reeeive thethreaded stem 7 of the tip S. The bushing 6 is secured within the shellor body of the cue in any substantial way and its inner end is closedand its outer end is open, the opening extending inward and beingthreaded to correspond with the thread oi the stem 7, A conicaldepression 9 is provided in the inner end of the bushing G and receivesone end of the rod 5 and centers the same and maintains it in place.

rlhe tip 8 may he of vulcanite, glass, bone or other material commonlyemployed in connection with devices of this character. The usual pad .l0is liti ed to the remity of tho tip 8 and may be secured thereto in an yaccustomed way. One more weights ll may be provided to balance andwerghtwthe cue and' may be urged at any posi tion in the cngth thereofas may ound most advantageous ac ling to the requiref ments of theplayer. ln the prefer construction the weight or weights ll are strungupon'the'rod 5 and are adjustable thereon beingheld in the adjustedposition by set nuts l? which are threaded upon the rod 5 and act in thec: racity oi jam nuts to hold the Weight in pla cc. The weight orweights ll may either slide freely upon the roi? 5 or may be threadedthereto as found most advsmaweous. When .it is required to either shiftthe oostion ol' the weight upon the rod 5 or to replace the same by alighter or a heavier Weight, the base 2 is ivedA from the shell or bodyl and with it the rod carrying the Weight thereby admitting of adjustmont oi' the weight upon the rod to suit the requirenient or caprice or"the player, alter which the rod with the weight is placed in positiontogether with the base 2.

lt is to be 'ui'iderstood that special machinery may be devised forconstructing the cues commercially, thcre by admi'itiro o5' the samebeing placed upon theniarket at about th same cost so as to compete withthe usual wooden cue and at a less cost than the composite or sec tionalcue. The present 'cue has a great advantage since it adn. of varying theweight without altering the size, a also provides 'ier shifting theWeight to any desired point in the length of the eue whereby anyrequired balance may be obtained. The cue being constructed of metal isnot aHected by climatic changes, hence will preserve a perfectalinement.

It is to be understood that the surface of the cue may be enameled7ornamented7 or finished in any way thereby preserving the same andadmitting of any desired embellishment.

A further advantage resides in the fact that the cue being of non-porousand non-fibrous material will not absorb moisture or neutralize the blowwhen driving a p ball,` which is of material consequence in skilled andclose play.

' Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A billiard cue comprising a hollow shell. a longitudinal rod arrangedwithin the shell, a closure for one end of the shell, the said closurecarrying a tip and engaging an end of the rod to center the same withinthe shelly a closure for the opposite end of the shell engaging theopposite end of the rod,` and a weight mounted upon the rod.

2. A billiard cue comprising a hollow shell, a closure for one end ofthe shell, a rod carried by the said closure and extending through theshell, a weight mounted upon the rod, and a closure for the opposite endof the shell loosely engaging the rod to center the same within theshell.

3. A billiard cue comprising a hollow shell, a base re movably closingone end thereof, a bushing closing the opposite end of th'e shell andhaving a conical depression in its inner face, a rod arranged within theshell and secured at one end to the aforesaid base while its oppositeend is received loosely within the conical depression of the bushing andcentered within the shell thereby, and a weight mounted upon said rod.

4.' A billiard cue comprising a hollow shell; a bushing* fitted to oneend of the shell and` having the inner face thereof formed with aconical depression, a tip carried by said-bushing, an internallythreaded ring fittedv to the opposite end of the shell, a hase threadedinto said ring.'l

. and formed with a socket, a rod arranged within the shell -and havingone end received by the socket in the base while the opposite end isfitted within the conical depression in the bushing and centered withinthe shell thereby, anda weight adjustable upon said rod.'

In testimony whereof l allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

'ILLIAU H.l BUCKNUM. [L. 8.]

Witnesses MORGAN ROCKHILL, LEWIS R. BOND.

